The Beat: Natick author Ostrowsky looks at athletes' lives after the games stop

Sunday

Mar 2, 2014 at 10:00 PMMar 3, 2014 at 6:56 PM

By Tim Whelan Jr.Daily News staff

The retired player turned commentator, turned coach, turned front-office executive — their stories are out there.The sporting spotlight is still on those groups of men and women, albeit in a different form.But what happens for everyone else when the cheering stops, when the hefty paychecks stop rolling in?David Ostrowsky, a 29-year-old Natick resident, sought out the answers.Ostrowsky, a marketing writer at WinterWyman as well as a part-time SAT/ACT tutor, was welcome to taking on another challenge.His book, "Game Over or Game On? How Pro Athletes Leave Sports and Enjoy the Game of Life" hit shelves on Feb. 4.According to the book's inside cover, it is "an account of how various pro athletes from the past several decades have made contributions in the fields of entertainment, business, politics, community service, coaching, management, and broadcasting upon retirement."For Ostrowsky, the idea hit him upon reading Sports Illustrated's annual "Where Are They Now?" issue."I realized there weren't too many books on this topic at all," he said, "and I felt like it was the kind of thing that deserved more than a once-a-year issue."So on New Year's Day 2013, Ostrowsky got cracking. After doing interviews and writing over a nine-month period, he sent in his manuscript in September."It was kind of a thing where you go one by one, talking with former players who became lawyers, businessmen, politicians — it's interesting to find out everyone's path," he said.He admits that the process wasn't seamless from the beginning."At the beginning, I got off to a slow start," he said. "I spoke with (former Buccaneers and Falcons running back) Warrick Dunn, and he gave me quite a bit of time. I talked to one person after another, and with each interview it built confidence in the work."What followed were interviews with a wide range of personalities, from ESPN's Chris Berman to former major league pitcher Dontrelle Willis to former NFL quarterback Mark Brunell.Ostrowsky said that he wanted to focus on players who weren't involved in sports or broadcasting in retirement, who aren't constant television presences.Longtime major league outfielder Steve Finley, for example, is now an insurance agent in California. A 19-year veteran and former Gold Glove winner, Finley has transitioned out of the game and into what some may call a "regular" job."He's on LinkedIn," pointed out Ostrowsky, who grew up in Newton and attended Newton South before graduating from Brandeis. His wife, Lauren (Schreider) Ostrowsky, is a 2000 Natick High grad.The book, published by Mill City Press out of Minneapolis, MN, can be found at various local booksellers and at Amazon.com.

Rising star inside the ringCarlos Cancel has been around boxing since he was nine years old. Between 1991 and 2004, he amassed 140 amateur bouts before moving his energies into training up-and-coming fighters.Many arrive at Bancroft Boxing Gym in Framingham. Far fewer stick around."A lot of kids try it, but they end up quitting," said the 32-year-old Cancel, who lives in Framingham and also trains fighters at Hudson Boxing Gym. "Every year we get around 50 or 60 kids, and not many stay."Cancel brought five boxers to the New England Golden Gloves Tournament. One, however, stood out. Miguel Teo, nicknamed Cheeks, is different than many Cancel has trained.The 16-year-old from Marlborough, a junior at Framingham High School, has already made quite the name for himself. The 6-foot, 178-pound teenaged light heavyweight was named the Most Outstanding Boxer of the 2014 New England Golden Gloves Novice Tournament after he won seven bouts over January and February to capture the title, beating fighters who were all at least three years older than him.He started off by defeating Will Berrio, a 19-year-old from Boston, then topped Dorchester's Bernard Joseph, 22, followed by Joel Felix (24, Lawrence), Ian Funk (23, Cambridge), Ken Ball (19, Worcester) and then won the title by defeating David Huckabay, a 25-year-old from Vermont.Teo's father, Manny, is a former professional boxer who fought out of the Natick Boxing Club."Miguel was the talk of the tournament," said Cancel, a three-time New England Golden Glove champion himself. "There aren't many fighters who can do what he did."

Little League Challenger registration openWeston Little League's Challenger Division spring registration is now open to Weston and surrounding towns without their own division.The Challenger Division is an adaptive baseball program, which allows for communities to establish a structured athletic program for children with physical and mental challenges. Boys and girls, ages 5-18 (up to age 22 if enrolled in high school), can enjoy the game of baseball tailored to their abilities.In Challenger, everyone gets to play. Teams are made up of 8-10 players, and the same equipment and fields are used as the other Little League divisions. Teams are established according to player ability, rather than age, and the levels of play are tee-ball, coach-pitch or player-pitch. The games are only one or two innings, about one hour of play, and every child goes up to bat, each run is a home run, and there are no scores.Registration is open now for players and the cost is $20 per player. Opportunities are available for volunteer Buddies.Games are scheduled Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on May 3, May 10, May 17, May 31, and June 7.It is Weston Little League's goal to host a Challenger Jamboree this year on June 8, and many volunteers will be needed. To register to play, volunteer to be a Buddy, or request additional information, contact Ann Delduchetto, League Director, at challenger@westonbaseball.com or go to www.westonbaseball.com/registration.Tim Whelan Jr. can be reached at 508-626-4402508-626-4402 or twhelan@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @thattimwhelan.

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